Congressional candidate meets with Long Chamber

State Sen. Earl “Buddy” Carter of Pooler addresses the Long County Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday in Ludowici.

District 1 state Sen. Earl “Buddy” Carter, who recently announced his candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives, addressed Long County leaders Tuesday at a dinner hosted by the Long County Chamber of Commerce at Lillian Simmons’ home.The event drew about 50 people. Carter told the group that his ties to Long County developed through Coastal Manor Long Term Care Facility. He said that as a pharmaceutical consultant, he worked with 14 nursing homes, including Coastal Manor. He praised the facility’s level of care. Carter said the recent news that Long County was the fifth-fastest growing county in the nation was a good reflection on the county. He said could relate to a fast-growing community from his time as the mayor of Pooler.Carter, who is seeking to represent Georgia’s First Congressional District, said three issues influenced his decision to run for the U.S. House: dealing with the national debt, maintaining a strong military and reforming health care. “I do not want to load down future generations with more national debt … every generation wants the next generation to do better than they did, but with the way our debt is growing, I’m not sure generations in the future are going to have that opportunity,” he said.Carter said the way to combat the national debt is by entitlement reform, economic growth and investing in the future. He also wants to maintain a strong military and ensure that all military bases in the area remain open. He said he is not in favor of Obamacare and that it needs to be reformed. When asked about the proposed Townsend Bombing Range expansion project and its impact on Long County, Carter said that as the mayor of Pooler, he dealt with a similar situation in regard to lost local revenue from the ports. He applauded Long County for being proactive and attempting to deal with the issue now, instead of waiting and having to deal with problems later. Carter said that when the government buys land for projects like that, it is only fair that local communities be reimbursed if there was a negative financial impact. Carter also was asked would he continue to work with Long County in the future and, if elected, would he continue to work with the county’s elected leaders and not forget about the area.“I’m always out and about. The larger cities like Savannah and Brunswick, yes, they are important. But the smaller communities like Long County, they’re important, too, and I will continue to keep a strong presence in this area,” he said.Carter, a Republican, was elected to the state Senate in 2009. The election for U.S. House is in November 2014. Four other Republicans have announced their candidacies for the seat: former state House candidate Darwin Carter of Alma, former Kingston staff member David Schwarz, Dr. Bob Johnson of Isle of Hope and state Rep. Jeff Chapman of Brunswick.